1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wiping implement and more particularly, to an assembly for use in manually wiping liquid off a dipstick.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Dipstick wipers are the subject of earlier patents. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,279,111, issued Apr. 7, 1942 to Myrtle A. DeWitt, discloses a dipstick wiper including a sleeve having a bore therein through which a dipstick passes, and a pair of opposed spring fingers projecting from the bore and engaging the dipstick. It should be noted that the wiper is carried by the dipstick and that no provision is disclosed for absorbing oil.
A dipstick cleaner described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,453,452, issued Nov. 9, 1948 to Kenneth Nielsen, includes a cylindrical tube having longitudinally disposed slots therein and two strips of spring steel therein. The strips are covered with an absorbent material. The absorbent material will become saturated over use of the cleaner and no provision is disclosed for replacing the material.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,460,181, issued Aug. 12, 1969 to William J. Denver, discloses a dipstick guide and wiper including a guide tube having apertures formed therein and a pliant wiper element associated with the apertured portion of the guide tube. The wiper element is adapted to be squeezed into the interior of the tube against the dipstick, wiping the dipstick clean. The guide tube may be an integral part of the invention or may extend from an existing crankcase guide tube.
A self-wiping dipstick is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,520, issued Dec. 17, 1985 to George S. Forde, Jr. The dipstick includes an elongated rod-like element having a wiping block slidable along the elongated element. The wiping block is a solid block of oil-resistant and heat-resistant synthetic resin. A dipstick guide tube is received by the lower end of the wiping block. As the elongated element is removed completely from the wiping block, the elongated element is wiped clean of oil and oil removed from the elongated element flows back into the crankcase.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,393, issued Jan. 30, 1990 to Hector M. Avila, Jr., discloses a dipstick wiper with a built-in oil detainer. The wiper includes rubber wiper blades which abut each other along blade surfaces to define therebetween an area which wipes a dipstick. Oil wiped off the dipstick is detained in a channel until the wiper is returned to a storage container where oil in the channel drains into the storage container.
None of the aforementioned patents disclose dipstick wipers which may be operated single handedly. A combination oil dipstick and wiper which may be operated single handedly is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,703,038, issued Nov. 21, 1972 to Carroll G. Smith. This wiper comprises a wiper closure assembly housing including a cylindrical body having resilient annular wiper rings compressed therein so as to urge against a dipstick passing therethrough. As the dipstick is removed from the housing, fluids tend to be wiped clean from the dipstick by the rings.
A self-wiping dipstick is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,584, issued Mar. 31, 1992 to John H. Williams. A dipstick is pivotally suspended from a cap. The cap may be loosened from a wiper plug, which remains stationary in the crankcase tube as the dipstick is withdrawn through it. A series of internal wipers clean the dipstick as it passes through the wiper plug. The clean dipstick may be reinserted into the wiper plug and the cap retightened on the wiper plug. The cap, dipstick, and wiper then may be withdrawn altogether.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.